<p>I thought they were rich?</p>
<p>another not subtle evidence that USC is a trade school, having little in common with global research universities.</p>
<p>The department was dying for well over a decade. It was time to bury it. We ended Comparative Lit a couple of years ago. Departments come and go.</p>
<p>This is amazing considering they have the money to give so many merit-based half/full-tuition scholarships but not enough to keep their German dept. I am also surprised at the "low-enrollment" considering this is a school with 16,000+ undergrads, 2-3 times larger than a typical private. How is USC focus on humanities in general? Does anyone have an opinion on that?</p>
<p>I think having German is basic for any university. My HS had four years plus of it and it was nothing fancy.</p>
<p>Ummm, yea with three professors their and majority of enrollment coming from non majors it's pointless to keep it there.</p>
<p>Also, it's funny how the entire article reads as if you won't be able to take german classes anymore until the end where you discover:</p>
<ol>
<li>Language classes will still be offered.</li>
<li>There are 125-140 people in german, and all of them aren't even majors. Thats less than 1% of the University even taking classes in the department.</li>
<li>This is supposed to happen over 3 years, not like at the end of this semester as some people are trying to spin it.</li>
</ol>
<p>
[QUOTE]
another not subtle evidence that USC is a trade school, having little in common with global research universities.
[/QUOTE]
</p>
<p>Even though, you know, we still have more majors/minors than most schools in the country. Makes sense.</p>
<p>Edit: Also, I don't think that the dean is saying german is unimportant, rather that the global perspective is shifting towards integrating the east with the west, and those departments are growing at an exponential rate, it would be foolish NOT to pay attention to them. I think that what they are doing is right, I mean, there's no point in just having majors that maybe 100 people MAY enroll in over four years.</p>
<p>are you serious? damn, I was thinking of a german minor at USC, but I guess now they're cutting it, it made my choice a little easier to choose ucsd</p>
<p>
[quote]
another not subtle evidence that USC is a trade school, having little in common with global research universities.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>what about the $430 million worth of research USC does? thats a pretty big thing to have in common with research universities and far outweighs having a german department</p>
<p>With a few exceptions, the study of languages is suffering (or dying out outright) in all kinds of schools, including the super selective ones. Americans. Simply. Aren't. Interested. </p>
<p>By the way, just because a school cuts out a major doesn't mean you can't study the language, and at a pretty high level. It just means you can't get a degree.</p>
<p>Goethe Institut will not be pleased with this...</p>
<p>
[quote]
By the way, just because a school cuts out a major doesn't mean you can't study the language, and at a pretty high level.
[/quote]
'fraid not, unless you call 'basic language courses' a high level. Which they might do at USC ;) (ok, just kidding!)
[quote]
USC is eliminating the study of German as a major over the next three years and dismantling the department except for some basic language courses, it was reported today.
USC</a> to cut German classes - LA Daily News
[/quote]
</p>
<p>it may be that German is also dyeing at the HS level as well, particularly in Calif, which provides ~50% of students at USC. </p>
<p>The one HS in our town that offered German dropped it bcos the German IV-AP was down to <8 students. While that's great for them, it meant that some AP classes carried 40 kids to balance the HS average.</p>
<p>German has one of the great literatures; it is also an essential language for graduate studies in music history and art history.<br>
Check out the size of the German faculty at UCLA, Cal, which have far more than 50% Californians -- the departments also include Dutch and Yiddish. The decision by USC reflects an attitude toward the humanities that is deplorable.</p>
<p>Caltech eliminated my department (Materials Science & Engineering) as a undergraduate major a number of years ago. Does that mean Caltech's attitude towards the science and engineering is deplorable?</p>
<p>mamenyu wrote: "The decision by USC reflects an attitude toward the humanities that is deplorable."</p>
<p>I think it more reflects USC's attitude toward humanities at the doctoral level. I had thought their recent (past 15 years, mostly) progess would havemade this sort of decision insupportable.</p>
<p>It also reflects the challenges that private colleges, which are under no exogenous mandate to support fundamental research, face.</p>